Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Oilers Rumors

Oilers Notes: McDavid, Klefbom, Expansion

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Will Connor McDavid be named captain twice in the next month? That’s entirely possible, with both Team North America and the Edmonton Oilers needing a captain.

With his GM and coach from Edmonton being among those in charge of the team, and the support of his teammates, it’d be a surprise if anyone else was named captain.

So far, McDavid has been lining up alongside Jonathan Drouin and Mark Scheifele on the North American first line in practice, as well as headlining the first unit powerplay.

Meanwhile, Oilers veteran forward Matt Hendricks was on Edmonton radio on Tuesday. According to Chris Nichols of Today’s Slapshot, Hendricks told Oilers insider Bob Staufffer that McDavid would make an excellent captain, as “it’s going to be Connor’s team and we want him to be the leader, because … he’s the best player definitely here in Edmonton, if not the best player in the game right now.”

  • Hendricks also talked about skating with Oilers new top pairing, Oscar Klefbom and Adam Larsson, saying they both looked good. Klefbom missed 52 games last season with a broken hand and multiple Staph Infections, and was being fitted with a custom skate this summer, but according to Hendricks “Klef is feeling good and has that big smile on his face, so that was nice to see for sure.”
  • Over at OilersNation, TSN host Jason Gregor went through all 30 teams to examine who could be exposed in next summer’s expansion draft. He doesn’t believe the Oilers have many tough decisions, with McDavid and Nurse not needing protection. Gregor has the Oilers protecting Milan Lucic, Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Leon Draisaitl, Andrej Sekera, Klefbom, Larsson, Brandon Davidson and Cam Talbot. That would leave Benoit Pouliot, Patrick Maroon, Nail Yakupov, and Griffin Reinhart exposed. Unless Maroon plays like he did at the end of last season with McDavid, or Yakupov finally breaks out, then the Oilers won’t be too fussed about the expansion draft. Pouliot is a solid NHLer, and scores at a much higher rate than you would expect (equal with Jonathan Toews and higher than Johnny Gaudreau), but Gregor believes it’s likely Vegas will look to add defense over forwards. A young, former 4th overall pick like Reinhart could be a serious consideration for Vegas. Reinhart was added at great cost at the 2015 draft, but hasn’t managed to crack the Oilers full time yet.

Behind The Scenes Of The Busiest Day Of The Summer

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Oilers decided Taylor Hall would be the one to go shortly before the NHL draft, according a great new article by Elliotte Friedman about those crazy 23 minutes on June 29.

A couple of members of the Oilers told Friedman that they believed the team wanted to make it easier for Connor McDavid to become the guy in the dressing room, calling Hall a “dominant personality”.

Ultimately, while avoiding putting down Hall, Friedman’s sources seem to suggest the Oilers made the trade for reasons other than hockey, similar to the last time Peter Chiarelli traded a top-two pick from 2010. It makes you wonder what we don’t know, because making a trade to remove Hall’s big locker room presence, only to replace him with Milan Lucic’s even bigger presence, doesn’t make a lot of sense at face value.

Meanwhile, Chiarelli told Friedman that he knew he would be parting with a significant player because “everyone knew we were looking for a defenseman”.

The trade talks between Edmonton and New Jersey picked up steam two days before the trade was finalized. The two teams had been talking since the trade deadline, initially regarding Eric Gelinas who was later traded to Colorado. According to Friedman, “at some point, Adam Larsson became central to the conversation, but no deal was ever close until the very end.”

Chiarelli asked for more than just Larsson, but Devils GM Ray Shero said they couldn’t add anyone else for cap reasons. Which seems odd, because the Devils are still hovering around the cap floor.

As suggested previously, there were other trades looked at by the Oilers leading up to the draft. Friedman suggests Kevin Shattenkirk, Justin Faulk, Tyson Barrie, and Matt Dumba were all explored, but Chiarelli insists they “weren’t close on anything”. Edmonton was also kicking around a three-way trade with Columbus and Calgary, with the Oilers moving down to 6th overall to select Matthew Tkachuk or Mikhail Sergachev. Ultimately, the Oilers realized that Jesse Puljujärvi would fall to them and that would give them some flexibility to trade a winger.

As far as his post-trade phone call with Hall, Chiarelli refused to share details of the “private” conversation, but would say “there was a lot of dead air.”

Moving to the P.K. Subban blockbuster, Friedman said rumours about Subban being moved intensified in February after Canadiens coach Michel Therrien singled out Subban for a give-away that lead to a game-winning goal versus the Avalanche. Despite GM Marc Bergevin’s best effort to put a damper on media speculation around the draft, talk was running wild at the time, even drawing Canucks GM Jim Benning in, resulting in a tampering fine. Vancouver had an advantage of a high pick in play, but once it became clear that Pierre-Luc Dubois would not make it past Columbus, they were out. Colorado was unable to accept Subban’s $9MM salary, and apparently so was Edmonton. Chiarelli was unwilling to add the $9MM price tag to whatever McDavid will be making in two years.

Then Nashville offered Shea Weber. The older Weber was not what the Canadiens had been asking for – previously it had been Subban’s peers or packages of younger players. The enormity of the deal was not lost on the two teams, with one front office member saying “I think both teams had moments where they couldn’t believe what they were considering.”

Predators GM David Poile said the trade was tough, considering the major community presence of Weber. Poile said he wants to have a sit-down with Weber in the near future to tell him “how much he meant to us. It’s important he recognizes that. When a player hears he’s been traded, he doesn’t hear anything else you have to say.”

As far as the Steven Stamkos signing, Friedman revealed that the Lightning were close to moving him last summer before his no-trade clause kicked in, similar to Subban this summer. However, the front runners were the Buffalo Sabres who were unwilling to move the 2nd overall pick that would become Jack Eichel and talks died down.

Stamkos met with the Maple Leafs but decided that he didn’t want to leave, and ultimately agreed to the number proposed by GM Steve Yzerman back in the spring. Like Hall, Subban, and Weber have said post-trade, moving on is hard to take. As Friedman put it, “no doubt those same thoughts entered Stamkos’ mind too”.

Interestingly, Friedman spoke with nearly all involved in the day: Chiarelli, Poile, Hall, Subban, Yzerman, and Stamkos. Only Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin declined to speak, with one of his fellow GMs suggesting if Bergevin could have his way, “he’d never talk discuss this trade again”.

Snapshots: Oilers, Blue Jackets, Tortorella

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

In two posts over the weekend (here and here), David Staples of the Edmonton Journal pondered whether the organization’s minor league coaches “thwart the development of their prospects,” by assigning more ice time in key situations to veteran players as opposed to the kids. It’s an important question to ask as developing prospects is the key to sustaining success at the NHL level. But as Staples points out, there are two sides to this discussion.

First, and most obviously, prospects need to be on the ice in meaningful games and playing important minutes to best advance their development. Practice time is important but it’s during games that players can implement what they’re being taught in practice. Essentially, prospects learn by doing better than they would by watching.

Staples also argues that it often does benefit younger players to play with established pros. He cites the example of Jordan Eberle and Taylor Hall each having the opportunity to skate with veteran pivot Shawn Horcoff during their first season in the league. Seeing how Horcoff went about his business day-to-day helped the youngsters learn what it took to become a solid pro player.

On the other hand, most organizations want their prospects to experience success, both individually and as part of the team, while in the minors as a way to better prepare them for potential playoff races in the NHL. Carrying a handful of veteran pros and giving them significant ice time improves the team’s odds for regular season success and subsequently to earn a playoff berth. The experience of postseason games is valuable in the development of a team’s prospects.

It’s a fine line minor league coaches have to walk. Their first obligation is to develop the parent club’s prospects, turning talented kids into quality NHL players. The ideal way to do so is by bringing them through a winning culture. That’s to say nothing of the pressure the coaches feel to win simply to keep their jobs. Just like at the NHL level, if you’re not winning much, you won’t be coaching long.

Ultimately, after analyzing a handful of previously successful AHL coaches who have gone on to earn NHL jobs – including: Jon Cooper, Dallas Eakins, Willie Desjardins, Jeff Blashill, Mike Sullivan, Jared Bednar, John Hynes and Jack Capuano – Staples concludes that Edmonton’s AHL head coaches – Todd Nelson and Gerry Fleming – have distributed ice time in roughly the same proportions as the successful coaches suggesting they have not thwarted the development of the team’s prospects. All together, it’s an interesting read and offers insight into what the thought process is for organizations assembling their minor league teams.

  • Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch writes about the struggle head coach John Tortorella faces dividing his time between the Blue Jackets and Team USA. Due to his commitment to coach the US team at the World Cup of Hockey tournament, Tortorella will miss 10 days of Columbus’ training camp and half of their eight exhibition games. It’s especially difficult for Tortorella, who was hired seven games into the 2015-16 campaign, since this would be his first training camp with the team and the club is expected to integrate several young players to the roster. Columbus has traditionally started the season slowly and if they again struggle out of the gate, it would be fair to wonder how much of a role Tortorella’s absence played. However, on the positive side, many assistant coaches who have designs of one day running their own bench get valuable experience running training camp while their team’s head coach is in Toronto for the World Cup. In the case of the Blue Jackets, the responsibility of taking over the team falls to assistant Brad Larsen. Tortorella also discusses that representing his home country has taken on even more significance with the knowledge his son, 26-year-old U.S. Army Ranger Nick Tortorella, is serving his country and currently deployed in the Middle East.

“I know these are hockey games … but I do look at it like it’s for my country. What Nick is doing by far dwarfs what we do. We’re entertainers; we’re playing a sport.”

“But with my son over there — this might sound selfish — I want to team up with him and help my country. I get pretty caught up in representing my country. There’s nothing like it.”

Tortorella is one of the league’s most polarizing coaches. His intensity and brutal honesty can turn off some players. But, as this piece demonstrates, there is more to Torts than just the firebrand head coach.

Quotable: Crosby, Wheeler, McDavid

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Sidney Crosby didn’t start 2015-16 the way he wanted. Through his first 30 games, the Pittsburgh Penguins captain had only 19 points, and was struggling to a -7 rating. Crosby had never finished a season with fewer points than games played, but it looked like he was in danger of putting up the worst season of his career.  It wouldn’t happen, as Crosby would remind the world why he is one of the best players in the world, finishing with 85 points on the season and trailing just Patrick Kane and Jamie Benn for the league lead.

In an enlightening article for SI.com yesterday, Crosby writes about his struggles last season and how much the media and fan reaction got to him.

…when the media repeats the same questions — particularly when the team isn’t winning consistently — you already know that whatever is being said out there, it isn’t good. You can feel the atmosphere in the arena and see the look in people’s eyes. It’s hard not to hold the stick a little bit tighter. It’s hard not to want to fix it all with one big game. It’s hard not to over-think and over-work and try to make perfect plays instead of just playing.

Read more

Snapshots: PTO’s, Minnesota, Florida, Hall, Larsson

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The closer we get to training camp, the less likely veteran players still without one are to receive a guaranteed contract for 2016-17. Indeed, a lot of quality NHL-caliber players will have to earn a job by way of a professional tryout (PTO). Several players have already gone that route as our PTO tracker shows, while some teams are still discussing their available options and determining who they may extend invites to.

On that front, Mike Russo writes that Minnesota’s brain trust is considering adding “one or two forwards to professional tryouts.” He points out that the Wild only have 10 forwards signed to one-way contracts giving the club room to add more competition to the group if they are so inclined. Russo adds that head coach Bruce Boudreau has already communicated to Chuck Fletcher, Minnesota’s GM, that he would like to “get bigger and tougher and stronger.”

Russo lists Paul Gaustad, Steve Downie, Lauri Korpikoski and R.J Umberger as possible PTO targets for the Wild. Although it appears we can dismiss the possibility of Gaustad joining Minnesota, or anyone else for that matter, as it has been said the veteran center is set to announce his retirement. Kyle Chipchura, David Legwand and Tuomo Ruutu could also fit Boudreau’s criteria but those options are purely speculative at this point.

  • Count Florida among the teams giving serious consideration to adding more veteran talent via PTO to compete for jobs. According to Harvey Fialkov of the Sun Sentinel, Panthers GM Tom Rowe told him Florida’s management team is “discussing possible veterans to bring in to camp.” Fialkov later added that head coach Gerard Gallant would prefer to add a veteran depth defenseman prior to the preseason. Florida was one of the summer’s most active teams and is aiming to compete for the Stanley Cup this season. It makes sense they would continue to try to add depth to bolster their chances and further guard against injury. The Panthers of course invested heavily in their defense corps this summer and still have rookie Michael Matheson – who we profiled here – and veteran Steve Kampfer to complement the top-six. Yet adding additional competition does make sense, particularly on a no-risk PTO. One wonders whether Jakub Nakladal – PHR analyzed his free agent case here – would be an option given he is a favorite of the analytics community and considering Florida’s recent shift to a more analytically-inclined front office but again, that’s just conjecture.
  • Edmonton GM Peter Chiarelli continues his campaign to justify the team’s acquisition of D Adam Larsson in exchange for high-scoring LW Taylor Hall. Writing for Today’s Slap Shot, Chris Nichols provides several quotes from a recent interview Chiarelli did with 630 CHED radio in Edmonton. Chiarelli reiterated that the deal was simply the “cost of doing business,” as part of the club’s efforts to address their defensive shortcomings. He added: “Our fans, once they see Adam, they’ll see what we see in him. Any time you trade a player like Taylor, it’s going to have reverberations throughout the local hockey community through our fan base, and it did.” Credit to Chiarelli for sticking with his convictions. It isn’t easy to make a decision you already know will be an unpopular one but his job is to make the Edmonton Oilers a better team and to do so, the organization had to upgrade the blue line. Evidently Chiarelli and Co. felt this was the best deal they could make to accomplish that objective.

Free Agent Notes: Russell, Kaleta, Edmonton Tryouts, Gaustad, Richards

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

It may be a little while yet before unrestricted free agent defenseman Kris Russell lands with a new home.  Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News reports that it may take a couple more weeks to get done as he has plenty of options to consider with regards to term, teams, and money.  Training camps are still three weeks away so there is still plenty of time to get a deal done.

Russell is the highest rated remaining UFA on our top-50 list, slotting in at 12th overall.  He has been one of the top shot blocking defenders in the league in recent seasons, however, not all teams interpret that as a positive as a high blocked shot total often correlates to being on the ice for a lot of shots against which is an indictment of a players’ defensive ability.

Last year, Russell played in 62 games between Calgary and Dallas, recording four goals and 15 assists to go along with 210 blocked shots, the second highest total in the league.

Earlier this offseason, he was believed to be seeking a long-term deal around $5MM per season (we had originally projected four years with a $4.5MM AAV).  While it’s unlikely he’ll be able to get the big contract he desired, it would appear the 29 year old should still be able to land a solid deal, though perhaps at a shorter term than he originally hoped.

In other UFA news:

  • Long-time Buffalo agitating winger Patrick Kaleta remains without a home for next season. In an interview with Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald, he noted that he has bulked up in advance of the season and is fully healthy for the first time in three years.  He also recently switched player agencies, signing with Newport Sports.  Unlike last season, Kaleta doesn’t appear to be interested in signing an AHL deal (he played in 26 games in 2015-16 with Buffalo’s AHL affiliate in Rochester) at this time though, telling Hoppe: “If the NHL opportunity comes approaching, I’ll be ready.  If it doesn’t, I’ll be prepared for that, too.”  Kaleta has played in 348 career NHL games, all with the Sabres, recording 27 goals, 27 assists, and 542 penalty minutes over that span.
  • The Edmonton Oilers have offered a tryout deal to a UFA center, writes Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal although GM Peter Chiarelli declined to say who the player was. Chiarelli also didn’t rule out offering more PTO’s to centers as the team not only looks to improve their depth but also to cover for Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Leon Draisaitl, who all will be suiting up at the World Cup.  Chiarelli also acknowledged that the team has offered a tryout to defenseman Eric Gryba.
  • Also from Matheson’s piece, free agent center Paul Gaustad is expected to announce his retirement in a couple of weeks. The 34 year old played in 63 games with Nashville last year, collecting only six points but won over 55% of his faceoffs.
  • Still from Matheson, three teams have inquired about free agent center Mike Richards, according to his agent Pat Morris. Richards joined Washington partway through last season and while his offensive numbers are nothing to write home about (five points in 39 games), he led all Capitals forwards in shorthanded ice time per game, a unit that had the second best penalty kill percentage in the league.  He’s a prime candidate to land a PTO.

Oilers Sign Matt Benning

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Edmonton Oilers have signed college free agent defenseman Matt Benning to a two year, entry-level contract, according to a team release.  Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Benning was originally a sixth round pick of the Boston Bruins back in 2012 (175th overall) but opted not to sign with the team and became eligible for free agency on August 16th.  The Bruins weren’t interested in signing him for 2016-17 and would have preferred he stayed to play his senior year in college, reports Mark Divver of the Providence Journal.

The 22 year old blueliner spent the last three seasons with Northeastern of the NCAA.  Last season, he played in 41 games, picking up six goals and 13 assists to go along with 37 penalty minutes.  In three college campaigns, he collected nine goals, 47 assists, and 101 PIMS in 110 games.

Benning is the nephew of Vancouver GM Jim Benning (who was Boston’s Assistant GM when he was drafted) and it was speculated that the Canucks were also interested in acquiring him.  Oilers radio analyst Bob Stauffer adds that Chicago had made an offer while Benning had also visited with Los Angeles earlier this week.

It’s likely that Benning will battle for a roster spot with Edmonton’s AHL affiliate in Bakersfield this season.

[Related: Oilers Depth Chart]

Pacific Notes: Calgary Injury Updates, Edmonton Prospect Targets

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Flames defenseman Jyrki Jokipakka is on pace in his recovery from offseason hip surgery to be able to suit up for Team Finland at the upcoming World Cup of Hockey, writes Aaron Vickers from the Flames’ official site.  Calgary GM Brad Treliving had the following to say about how his treatment is going:

“Based on today and based on the medical opinion, I would say it’s promising to likely that he be ready for that.  Everything is looking good.  He’s been back here for a little bit of time now and our staff has had a chance to check him out. Everything looks good. He’s been training. He’s been skating. I think there are a couple final checks to do, but everything is looking positive.”

Jokipakka was acquired at the trade deadline from Dallas along with prospect Brett Pollock and a 2016 2nd round pick (Dillon Dube) in exchange for Kris Russell, who happens to be the most prominent remaining unrestricted free agent on the open market.  He got into 18 games with the Flames last year, recording six assists while seeing his average ice time increase by over three minutes compared to his playing time with the Stars.  He’s likely to play in a third pairing role for Calgary this season.

[Related: Calgary’s Depth Chart]

More from the Pacific:

  • In a separate piece from Vickers, center Daniel Pribyl, an offseason signing by the Flames, may not be fully healthy when training camp gets underway. The 23 year old underwent ACL surgery back in May.  Pribyl, originally a sixth round draft pick of Montreal back in 2012 (168th overall but went unsigned), averaged a point per game (16 goals and 29 assists in 45 contests) with Sparta Praha of the Czech Extraliga last season which got him back on the NHL radar.
  • The Oilers are interested in signing college free agent defenseman Matt Benning, reports Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal. Benning was a sixth round pick (175th overall) of the Bruins in 2012 but went unsigned prior to the August 15th deadline.  Benning is the nephew of Vancouver GM Jim Benning (who was Boston’s Assistant GM when he was drafted) which has yielded speculation that the Canucks may be interested in the services of the 22 year old as well.  (Update: Edmonton has indeed signed Benning to a two year deal.)
  • Also from Matheson, he noted that the Oilers inquired about the availability of Blackhawks prospect Mark McNeill back at the draft in June. McNeill made his NHL debut last season but has spent the bulk of his professional career at the minor league level.  The 23 year old former first rounder (18th overall in 2011) has to clear waivers if he doesn’t crack Chicago’s roster in training camp so it’s certainly possible that talks could rekindle closer towards the beginning of the season in mid-October.

Snapshots: Fehr, NHLPA, Vegas, Lucic, Pietrangelo

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The head of the NHLPA, Donald Fehr, recently sat down with the Canadian media to discuss the upcoming World Cup of Hockey while also touching on other subjects of note. An edited and condensed version of the interview was posted by Jonas Siegel on The Globe And Mail. As usual, the entire piece is worth a read but here are some of the highlights.

When asked whether or not the union was on board with the timing of the tournament, Fehr said, “it’s not that pre-season is the best time, but it probably is, at the moment, better than the others.”

He would go on to state: “There has been some informal discussions, for purposes of this World Cup that never rose to the level of serious consideration, that maybe we ought to do it in February. And it’s conceivable that that would be considered going forward.”

There is no perfect time to hold an event like this. Any way you look at it, a tournament held at any point in the year is going to prolong the season and shorten the summer for the players. While teams would probably prefer their players not to participate due in large part to the risk of injury, both owners and union members have a vested interest in successfully pulling off events of this nature since the added revenue will be divided by the players and the league.

Fehr also addressed the idea of European expansion from the players’ perspective. He indicated at least a few players have taken note of the KHL’s presence on the continent and the fact that so many players are European born. While making it clear these conversations were of the internal variety and did not involve the NHL in any way, Fehr did seem to suggest the players would be open to the idea and it was something that would merit further study.

Finally, on the subject of the potential of another lockout, Fehr pointed out that baseball has been the only sport to experience prolonged labor peace over the last two decades. He also mentions, probably not coincidentally, that baseball is the only major sports league without a salary cap.

In terms of possibly avoiding another work stoppage following the 2018-19 campaign when both parties will have the option of opting out of the current CBA, Fehr referenced just how far off that point in time is relative to the average player’s career by saying: “our membership will turn over more than 50 per cent between now and then.”

More from around the NHL:

  • The Las Vegas expansion franchise today announced yet another addition to their front office/operations staff. The club has hired Mike Levine for a scouting/player development position. Levine spent the last three years as an assistant coach at Brown University. According to the release on the Vegas Is Hockey website, Levine comes with a solid reputation as a recruiter both at the collegiate and prep levels.
  • Not surprisingly, Milan Lucic said as many as 10 teams expressed serious interest in signing the big winger before he inked a seven-year contract with Edmonton, according to Chris Nichols writing for Today’s Slap Shot. Lucic was one of the top players available on July 1st and was guaranteed to generate a lot of interest on the free agent market. It’s not certain how many of Lucic’s suitors were willing to extend themselves as far as the Oilers did, either financially or with a seven-year term, but his status as a coveted free agent was never in doubt. He would ultimately choose Edmonton, saying, “I went with my heart and my loyalty to Peter and chose the Edmonton Oilers.”
  • Sportsnet’s John Shannon tweeted earlier today that the St. Louis Blues will announce Alex Pietrangelo as the team’s new captain tomorrow. He will replace David Backes, who left St. Louis in free agency after accepting a five-year deal with the Boston Bruins. The choice of Pietrangelo makes a lot of sense given he is one of the team’s best players, has been with the organization his entire pro career and is under long-term contract ensuring he will be a Blue for the foreseeable future.

Quotable: Hall, McDavid, Karlsson

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Various NHL players are in Toronto for the BioSteel Camp going on from August 22nd-25th, including Taylor Hall, Tyler Seguin and Connor McDavid. TSN caught up with a variety of players talking about different topics.

Hall on joining New Jersey:

I’m excited for a new opportunity, a new start, a new group of guys and a new city.  I enjoyed my time in Edmonton, but I’m trying just to look forward at the situation in New Jersey. It’s going to be a lot different, I’m looking forward to maybe having a little more anonymity.

On the possibility of playing with former junior teammate Adam Henrique:

I get asked that all the time, and you know lines switch all the time in a season. There are going to be a few guys I play with most of the time. Adam is certainly a great player and we had a lot of success in junior so that’d be a lot of fun to play with him. In that top-six in Jersey there are a lot of guys that have skill and look like they’d be great linemates to play with.

Read more

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top